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F. M. HENSHAW.

AUTOMATIC LOCKING LAUNDRY PIN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. I919.

1,325,093. Patented Dec. 16,1919.

UNITED srnrus PATENT Orron.

FRED M. HENSI-IAW, OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO GEORGE w. c INE, sa, or LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA, AND ONE-HALF r0 ERLE N. R. HENSHAW, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC LOCKING- LAUNDRY-PIN.

To all whom z'tmay concern Be it known that I, FRED M. HnNsHAw, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lake Charles, in the parish of Calcasieu and State of Louisiana, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Locking Laundry-Pins, of which the. following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to pins constructed. onfithe order of safety pins orshield pins, and particularly to pins designed for attachment to articles being laundried, whereby the articles may be identified, though the, pin is not limited to such use.

It is usual in laundries to attach to the articles being laundried identifying pins on the order of safety pins which are attached to the articles and which bear numbers or other identifying indicia. While the articles are being washed and scrubbed, these pins are very liable to become accidentally detached from the articles, and hence the general object of my invention is to provide a pin in the'nature of a safety pin which cannot become accidentally detached, but which may be submitted to the roughest usage without any possibility of the pin becoming opened.

A further object is to provide a pin of this construction with a spring pressed, yieldably mounted shield which, in its normal position, so engages the point of the pin asto prevent any disengagement of the pin point from the shield, but which may be intentionally forced to a position where it will permit the pin point to be disengaged from the shield.

A further object is to provide a pin of this construction wherein the shield is so formed as to provide surfaces whereon identifying numbers or other indicia may be displayed.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a side elevation of a safety pin constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking to the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a like view to Fig. 1, but showing the shield bent into angular relation to Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec 16 19.19 Application filed March 31, I

1919. Serial No. 286,266.

the shank so as to permit the engagement ordisengagement of the pin;

F ig. 4 is a like View to Fig. 1, but showing the pin opened; and

. Fig. 5 is an end view of the pin closed.

teferring to these figures, it will be seen at its extremity is bent to form a spring coil 5'and then longitudinally extended, andto this is attached the shield, which is designated generally 6. This shield comprises a relatively rectangular portion 7 extending'away from the shank 4 toward the pin point, and is then bent over to provide a wing 8, which wing extends rearward and toward the shank 4 at an inclination. This wing 8 forms a keeper Within which the extremity of the pin 3 is retained when the pin is in use, the extremity of the pin being disposed between the portion 7 and the wing or keeper 8. It will be noted that the lower edge of the wing or. keeper 8 is normally downwardly and rearwardly inclined to the longitudinal axis of the pin. Preferably, the upper end of the shield is provided with a thumb piece or finger piece in the form of a rib 9, the upper edge of which is beveled outward and in a direction away from the coil 2.

In the use of this device, assuming that the pin is closed, then if it be desired to open the pin, the pin point 3 is depressed while the shield is held between the thumb and fingers, the thumb pressing on the part 9. The pressure on the pin 3 will depress the shank 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3 against the resilience of the coil 5 and this shifts the shank and the lower edge of the keeper into an approximately parallel position, permitting the pin to be shifted outward beneath the lower edge of the keeper. Assuming the pin to be open, then the shield and shank 4 are again shifted to the position shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the pin 3 may be readily engaged beneath the keeper and then the resilience of the coil 2 will cause it to spring to its normal, closed position. Unless the shield and shank 4: are relatively bent as shown, the pin 3 cannot be inserted beneath the keeper. Identifying marks or numbers are placed upon either the portion 7 or the portion 8 as desired, but, of course, this is immaterial and, as before-remarked, the pin may be used in any other desired manner.

It will be seen that my device is very simple, that it is thoroughly efiective for the purpose intendechthat I have provided apin which cannot possibly become opened except by intentional manipulation, and that the device may be cheaply made and put on the market at small cost.

I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction, as it is obvious that these might be modified in many ways and yet not depart from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a shank and a pin, resiliently connected to each other at one end, the other extremity of the shank being formed with a resilient yielding portion having less tension than the body of the shank, and a keeper attached to said resilient yielding portion, the keeper including a wing having its lower edge normally held at an inclination to the longitudinal axis of the pin, the inner extremity of said inclined edge being normally disposed closely adjacent to the shank of the pin, the resilient portion of the shank permitting the keeper to be turned to carry the lower edge into parallel relation to the shank to thereby permit the detachment of the pin therefrom.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a safety pin including a pin proper and a shank resiliently engaged with each other at one end, the opposite end of the shank being formed to provide a spring coil and then longitudinally extended, and a shield mounted upon said extended portion of the shank and extending toward the pin point and then extended downward to form a wing, the lower edge of the wing being normally supported at an inclination toward the shank and the first coil and with its inner end adjacent to the shank, the coil at the end of the shank permitting the shield to be tilted into position to permit the release of the pin from the shiel 3. A pin of the character described including a shank and a pin proper, a shield mounted upon the end of the shank formed to provide a keeper having itslower edge normally inclined inward and toward the shank, the inner end of this lower edge being normally disposed adjacent the shank, the keeper being formed with an outwardly projecting finger piece whereby the shield may be shifted to a position where the lower edge of the keeper is approximately parallel to the shank to permit the entrance or removal of the pin from the shield.

4:. A pin of the character described formed of a single length of wire bent intermediate its ends to provide a coil and provide a pin proper and a shank, the extremity of the shank being formed to provide a resilient coil and then longitudinally extended, and a shield mounted upon said extension and beyond the coil, the shield 1n ving a portion extending toward the pin point and parallel to the plane of the pin as a whole and then rebent upon itself and extending toward the shank and toward the first named coil toprovide a keeper, the lower edge of this keeper being inclined toward the shank and toward the rear end of the pin, the shield at its end opposite the shank being formed with a finger piece whereby the shield may be tilted against the resilience of the shank coil to cause the lower edge of the keeper to take a position approximately parallel to the shank and permit the entrance or removal of the pin point from the shield.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. FRED M. HENSHAW. lVitnesses Fnnnnnrc B. lVRIGrrr, ROBERT A. BOSWELL. 

